Scott half turned and addressed Ford. “No. Last I heard, you were on the board and moving forward with expanding the wing.”
The bartender stole the moment. “Can I get you anything?”
“Lagavulin. Straight up. You know what? One ice cube.” I couldn’t help but think how differently the brothers ordered their drinks.
“You must not be in touch with Mom, then?” Ford asked Scott as he slid onto the stool on the other side of me.
“Of course I am. She’s in charge of high-profile volunteers for my campaign.”
“Then she must not tell you everything.”
The two brothers talked around me and over me, and the quick drink became more awkward by the second.
The bartender set Scott’s drink down and he took a swig before saying, “What are you getting at?”
“Mom did a number. Pulled one of her power plays.” Ford knocked back his drink and asked for a bottle of sparkling water.
“Maybe you should explain, Jamie? It’s been so long since we’ve caught up anyway.”
“Drop the senator speak, Scotty. You’ve known Jamie for a million years. She’s just Jamie.”
The tension was getting to me, and I had to break the ice. “I’m not that old, am I? A million years old?”
“Of course not,” Ford said while tugging me off my stool and kissing my lips. “You’re gorgeous,” he said, releasing my mouth. I stumbled back to my stool as I heard Ford speak. “In case there was any doubt in your mind, I’ve come back for James.”
“I always knew you two had a thing, even when I was dumb and young.”
“You were dumb? Glad you’re finally admitting that.” Ford raised an eyebrow, and then I turned to face his brother, who was smiling.
“Now that we are all a bit looser,” Scott said, “can someone tell me what happened? I know Mom was not happy about some person you were seeing, but that’s it. She leaves a lot of details out when it comes to me. Thinks it’s bad for my career to know too much.”
“Everything is actually fine. I have a new job and I’m happy.” I couldn’t hurt Scott’s career. Maybe there was a reason his mom didn’t want him to know.
“Mom got Jamie fired. She called in a favor, like only she knows how to do, and within a few hours Jamie was gone. Her boss felt bad and found her a soft landing.”
“She has no boundaries,” Scott said. “Where are you now?”
“The Breast Cancer Foundation. Like I said, I’m very happy.”
“Why did Mom want you fired? Because you were going to be working with big bro?” He took a slug of his drink and motioned for another round, swirling his finger around, suggesting a fresh drink for all of us. “Put it all on my tab,” he told the bartender.
“She’s not working with me,” Ford started to clarify.
Shaking my head, I explained, “Your mom visited me before the funeral and asked me not to come.”
“What?” It wasn’t until I mentioned it that I realized Ford didn’t know about that. “She did what?”
“You’re surprised by this?” Scott asked his brother.
“Did she threaten you?”
“She told me not to come or there would be consequences.” I figured I needed to be honest. “The reason my boss felt so compelled to find a place for me afterward was because he told me to go to the funeral as part of my job.”
Scott shook his head, tipping back his second drink. I saw Ford left his on the bar. I sipped mine.
“I’m going to have a big meeting with Mom,” Ford threatened.
“Please don’t.”
